1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of recharging battery operated devices and more particularly to recharging battery operated devices that are worn for extended periods of time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Battery powered devices intended to be worn by people, animals or inanimate objects for extended periods of time often need to be recharged. An example of this type of device is a personal locator system such as those used to track individuals who are under house arrest. Because devices such as these must be active 24 hours per day and are not allowed to be removed, the task of recharging their internal batteries is very difficult. Currently, the wearer must remain tethered to a cable that provides power for recharging the internal batteries, causing the wearer to remain in the locale of the charger for the length of time required to recharge the internal batteries, sometimes several hours. During this time, the cable can get loose and fail to recharge the batteries or a person can get the cable caught on their legs, causing breakage of the cable or tripping of the person. It is also very easy for the wearer to forget they are connected to the charging cable and attempt to walk away, also causing breakage of the cable or tripping of the wearer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,909,915 to Greatbatch, et al. is hereby incorporated by reference and has an implantable medical device with a dual battery system for generating higher currents needed during a defibrillation operation of the device.
US Pat. Publication No. US 2003/0155887 to Bourilkov, et al. is hereby incorporated by reference and shows one way to charge a battery from a primary (not rechargeable) battery.
What is needed is a system, device and method that will provide a device that can be worn 24 hours a day and provide un-tethered recharging of the device's internal batteries.